California Dreamin'  An iJobuscus Fic
by Timeisending
Summary: Toby Turner and Justine Ezarik are two popular YouTube celebrities, and everyone agrees they're perfect for each other. But do they?
1. Chapter 1

Toby shifted restlessly in his bed, trying in vain to get to sleep. His thoughts drifted to the beautiful blonde asleep on his couch, and he sighed audibly. He wanted nothing more than to pick her up and bring her to bed with him, but he thought that might call into question the whole "just friends" thing. He frowned and concentrated hard, straining his ears, listening for any sounds from the living room. Rustles from the couch and the occasional sniff were all he could hear. He sighed again and turned over, his eyes fixed on the blank wall, but then he heard a small whimper carrying through the silent house. It was quickly followed by stifled sobs and moans. Toby sat up and pulled the covers off his legs, pausing briefly to listen for more noises. All was silent for several minutes so he considered going back to sleep, until…

A bloodcurdling shriek ripped through the night, making the hairs on the back on his neck stand on end. "No! Leave me alone! Get away from me!" She yelled repeatedly, crying and screaming in between words. Toby sprinted through to the living room, grabbing the baseball bat he kept by the door for protection. Convinced he would find a serial killer looming over Justine, he burst into the room, keeping his bat poised, but saw no evidence of an intruder, only a sobbing, screaming girl writhing on the couch. "Justine!" He shouted, dropping the baseball bat at his feet. It clattered across the hardwood floor, snapping Justine out of her nightmare. She breathed heavily, her eyes were slightly glazed over, still struggling to wake up. He kneeled beside the couch, moving a few strands of hair from her forehead, which was clammy with sweat. Her brow furrowed as she tried to recall what had happened.

"What was that noise?" She croaked, and then spotted the bat. "Is that bat your Boone, Toby?" She smiled weakly at him, and he tried to return it but couldn't, still so worried as he was.

"I thought someone had broken in… And they were trying to hurt you," He brushed her forehead again, this time letting his fingertips linger on her cheek.

"Why would you think-" She stopped as the memory of her dream came flooding back to her. "Oh, God!" She choked and a fresh wave of tears crashed over her. He pulled her into a tight hug and she cried into his t-shirt, sniffing loudly. He squeezed her shoulders comfortingly.

"Do you want to talk about it, JJ?" He said quietly. She shook her head, but launched into a concise but detailed rundown of the events, pausing rarely for breath.

"We were in Dead Space, you and me, and we were just running around trying to escape. There was no-one around and it was really quiet, the kind of quiet you always hear in movies right before the side kick gets eaten, right? So then all these necromorphs started crawling out of the walls and Floor and they started towards us. They backed us into a corner and we couldn't escape and I was so scared, and then they came even closer and then-" She let out a small gasp, and with it came a heaving sob. "Then they killed you! And I was alone with just these monsters, and they started moaning and closing in… And then you woke me up." She buried her head in his shoulder, shuddering.

"Oh, JJ," He breathed and stroked her long hair gently.

They stayed like that for a while, rocking back and forth in the darkness. Eventually, Toby sighed and pulled back slightly, cupping Justine's tired face in his hands.

"We'd better get you back to bed," He murmured. She gave him one terrified glance but nodded and made to lie back on the couch. He shook his head however, and pulled her back towards him. "No, I don't want you sleeping on the couch…" He muttered.

"Um, okay, I'll sleep in the spare bed then." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Or…" He coughed and looked away. "You could sleep in my bed… In case there's more nightmares…" She yawned, leaning her head against his chest. He took that as a yes, so slipped one arm under her legs and hoisted her off the couch and through to his room where he laid her lightly on the bed. She stretched under the covers, almost falling immediately asleep, but forced herself to stay awake until Toby, who was removing his damp t shirt, had come into the bed too. A small smile spread across her face at the thought spending the night in his bed with him, but she hid it quickly when he turned to face her. He slid into the other side of the bed and turned away from her, forcing himself to ignore the electricity dancing across the bed between them.

Justine shivered slightly, but whether it was from cold or fear, even she didn't know. She shuffled across the bed to Toby's side, the space between them shrinking.

"Toby," She whispered. He turned and jumped to see her so close.

"What is it, JJ?" He replied groggily.

"I'm a little cold…" She looked at her fingers twisting her hair next to her face.

"Okay… I'll get you a blanket," He said, and started to get up. "

No!" She grabbed his arm to stop him. "Don't leave…" She blushed scarlet, though it was invisible in the near pitch darkness. He lay back down next to her, puzzled as to what she wanted. As she shifted closer to him, he finally understood.

"You want a hug, JJ?" She smiled and nodded awkwardly, turning her back to him. He was thrilled, but tried to contain his excitement. He wrapped his arm around her waist and hugged her to his chest. She shivered slightly at the feel of his warm breath on the back of her neck, entwining her fingers with his, smiling softly.

He watched her for a long time, marveling at her beauty. When he was sure she was asleep, he pulled her much closer to him and leaned over to kiss her briefly on the corner of the mouth.

"Goodnight, JJ." He breathed. "I'll always protect you."

Little did he know, she was still wide awake.


	2. Chapter 2

Toby awoke that morning, feeling relaxed and content. He glanced at the woman sleeping beside him, noticing every perfect feature of her face, from her messy blonde hair to her lips, the corners of which were curved into a small smile. His right hand was tangled in her hair and his left arm was still wrapped around her waist, keeping her as close to him as possible. Her hand lay on his bare chest and her fingers twitched slightly, giving him goose bumps, which he promptly tried to ignore. Her head was nestled between his neck and shoulder, her soft hair tickling his chin. The moment was perfect, so of course, he had to ruin it by sneezing violently, jolting her awake. She jumped away from him, slightly disorientated, but burst out laughing when she saw his bright red face. He shook his head in an attempt to bring himself back to his senses then realised she was laughing at him from the other side of the bed. He adopted a look of mock annoyance and turned away from her, folding his arms. She crawled across the bed to him, still giggling and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind.

"I'm sorry," She said, struggling to speak between laughter. "I'm sorry… It wasn't funny at all," She attempted a serious face, the corners of her mouth still twitching slightly. He raised an eyebrow skeptically, but knew when he was beaten.

"Okay, you're forgiven," He snorted, then tackled her to the bed, tickling her. She shrieked with laughter, her feeble attempts to fight him off cracking him up. Eventually, they flopped back on the pillows, breathless and grinning. When they caught their breath, they propped themselves up on their elbows facing each other, both still beaming from ear to ear.

"Thank you," Justine said as she stretched her arms above her head.

"For what?" Toby asked, confused.

"For last night. There's not many people would have been so understanding about a dream like that. And even fewer who would have picked me up and brought me to bed with them." She grinned and placed a hand on his arm sincerely.

"Well that's quite alright, my dear JJ," He yawned and placed his hands behind his head smugly, trying to ignore the heat he had felt between them just then.

"Seriously though, you're a great friend," She said, hugging him again. Toby felt as though the room had gone icy cold.

"Yeah… friend…" He breathed, his jaw clenched.


	3. Chapter 3

Toby stood up from the bed a little too quickly and Justine wondered what was wrong.

"Everything okay, Tobes?" She asked, concerned.

"Just peachy, JJ," He replied, rather forcefully. "Breakfast?"

"Um... Sure? What you making?" She sat up in the bed, still trying to read his emotions from the back of his head.

"Whatever you like, JJ," He responded, his good mood returning slightly. He ruffled her hair and walked out of the room to the kitchen, where he began clattering loudly with pots and pans. Ten minutes later he re-entered the room, carrying a tray laden with toast, bacon and of course, coffee. She gasped delightedly as he sat back down on the bed with their breakfast.

"Wow, Toby, who knew you could cook!" She teased, grabbing a slice of toast and taking a bite. He shrugged modestly, watching her out of the corner of his eye as she helped herself.

"Oh my God!" He exclaimed suddenly, causing Justine to drop a strip of bacon into her lap.

"What!" She choked, her eyes watering.

"We have that audition today..." He said, realising he had perhaps been a little too dramatic. She stared at him.

"And was that worth making me almost DIE choking on bacon!" She giggled, waving a piece in front of his face pointedly.

"Well..." He coughed and took the bacon from her. She glanced at the clock on the table.

"We'd probably better get going if we're gonna stop off at my apartment first. I need a change of clothes," She looked down at the grey sweats and crumpled pink Tobuscus shirt she was wearing. They definitely looked slept in. "Besides, I can't be seen leaving your house wearing the same clothes as yesterday. The audiences will think we spent the night together..."

"Which we did," Toby pointed out, but she raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, I see what you mean..." He muttered. "We'll leave as soon as you're finished your breakfast," He smiled at her and got out of the bed to get dressed, grabbing a change of clothes and proceeding to the bathroom.

Another half hour passed before they were finally ready to leave. Toby insisted that his hair looked funny and refused to step out of the door until it was fixed.

"Toby, it looks fine!" Justine yelled from the car exasperatedly as she waited for him to get in.

"Yeah, well you wouldn't know, would you? You always look great," He pouted.

"Even right now?" She pointed to her creased, baggy t-shirt and unwashed hair and struck a pose.

"I'd say you were looking particularly hothothothothot today, JJ," He replied, winking at her. She blushed slightly and looked away as he ran his hand through his hair once more and checked his reflection in the wing mirror. He sighed and gave up, jumping into the convertible the "cool way" - with the door closed. He mis-timed the jump however, and caught his foot on the handle. He ended up sprawled across the front two seats of the car, his upper half squashing Justine, who laughed hysterically. Toby sat up, trying to rewind time and erase himself from the embarrassing situation he had just put himself in.

"No big deal," He coughed. "I totally meant to do that... Yup, it's all part of the plan..."

Justine eventually calmed herself down enough to tell him that he wasn't to be embarrassed and that she'd barely noticed at all, but he knew she was lying to make him feel better. He didn't speak for a while but stared straight ahead at the road, occasionally muttering insults at himself under his breath.

"Toby, just forget about it! It wasn't that bad!" Justine told him, rubbing his arm soothingly.

"It's not just that..." He said. "I just always seem to do embarrassing things, especially around... Well, around you," He refused to look in her direction, worried she might see the blush that was creeping up his neck. She did, but didn't mention it, not wanting to upset him even more.

"Tobes, I do embarrassing things all the time, it's just a part of life,"

He snorted. "At least you can look reasonably dignified while doing them, while I can barely walk down the street without making a fool of myself!" His voice was slightly raised now as he got more and more annoyed.

"Toby, sweetie, that's not true. You don't make a fool of yourself." She said seriously. "Where's all this coming from, anyway? What happened to the confident, outgoing, slightly ADD man I woke up next to this morning?"

"He disappeared when my hair went funny and I FAILED at getting in the car," He said, smacking his head off the steering wheel. Justine sighed.

"You're STILL on about that? Toby, I'll be honest, the car thing was pretty bad-" He looked offended and almost interrupted, but she cut him off. "-pretty bad for a normal person. You, however, manage to make it look awesome, and you should know by now that I don't care about you embarrassing yourself. It's one of the things that makes you such a great guy, you're not afraid to act the fool," She ruffled his hair affectionately and he smiled, feeling a little better. "As for your hair, I think it looks pretty dang sexy all the time,"


	4. Chapter 4

They arrived at Justine's apartment building and were in and out in record time. Justine changed into a more respectable outfit and very soon, they were on the way to their auditions.

"When's your audition, Tobes?" Justine asked, checking her phone for possible changes for the umpteenth time.

"No idea, JJ," Toby replied. "Check my phone will you?" He pulled it out of his pocket and tossed it to her. She caught it and began to unlock it, pausing to look at the picture on his lock screen- a photo of her, taken during one of their many late night gaming sessions. She was laughing, probably not even noticing he had taken the photo. Her stomach knotted slightly at the realisation that she was what he chose to see every time he looked at his phone. He looked over at her, wondering what was taking so long then turned scarlet when he saw her looking at the photo. He coughed loudly and brought her out of her trance.

"Oh! Right, the audition... Sorry, I just..." She checked the time as fast as possible then gave Toby back his phone, pretending to be searching for something in her handbag to save any further conversation on the topic. Toby sighed as he took his phone, stealing one last glance at the picture before he put in away. Could he have been any more obvious about his feelings for her? He wondered.

They made some light conversation for the rest of the journey, both trying to dispel the awkward that was lingering in the air.

The doors to the building they were auditioning in swung open noisily, a fact Toby didn't fail to mention to Justine, the receptionist and the entire waiting room. Justine laughed with him, glad to get the old, confident Toby back, having been a little worried about him earlier.

They walked through another, quieter set of doors and signed in at the desk, getting stickers to wear and a set of forms to fill out. Toby whizzed through his, handing it back to the secretary with a smug grin on his face. Justine completed hers almost as fast, but was called back to the desk as the doors to the audition corridor opened. The director walked out, a short, bandy legged man with a frog's mouth grin.

"Okay, guuuuuys!" He drawled, his voice carrying clearly throughout the small room. "We have three audition 'stations' set up, one in each room inside. You won't know who you're auditioning with, or indeed, what script-" He chortled mischievously. "- until you get inside," Turning on his heel, he waltzed back into the corridor and shut the double doors dramatically behind him.

Toby turned to make a face at Justine before realising she wasn't beside him. He saw her at the desk and heelied over to her.

"Everything okay, JJ?" He whispered in her ear, placing his hand on the small of her back, a gesture which didn't escape her notice.

"Some problem with my forms or something," She replied, tapping her nails on the desk in annoyance. The secretary looked up, irritated, and stared at Justine's fingers pointedly. Justine rolled her eyes at Toby and pulled her hand off the desk.

"What's the problem... um... Debra?" Justine squinted at the shiny name badge pinned to the woman's shirt. Debra looked up testily and sighed.

"YOU are my problem, sweetie," She faked a smile, every one of her yellowed teeth showing.

"Hey! That's awfully rude!" Toby said, his grip on Justine's waist tightening. "Look, we're not trying to cause any problems here; we just want to know how to fix the forms!"

Justine smiled at Toby gratefully as the secretary told them exactly what was wrong with the forms. They started to walk away but the woman called them back, a rather malicious grin spreading across her face.

"You do realise that due to this little... Mishap... You will both be seen last, along with the latecomers and the-" She coughed. "-Amateurs," They both started to complain but she held up a manicured hand. "Ah! Regardless of the time you've already been set!" She gave a satisfied chortle and returned to typing, clickety-clacking her nails against the keys.

Justine gazed around the room at the hundreds of auditionees, all practicing dialogue or doing vocal exercises and warm-ups. She did a few quick calculations in her head.

"Toby, if I'm working this out properly, which I'm pretty sure I am, we'll won't be seen for about 10 hours... and we're not allowed to leave the building until we're seen."

"What!" Toby said. "That can't be right..." He started to try and work it out but couldn't. "Argh, math! It makes my brain throb!" He exclaimed, acting out a dramatic death scene on one of the chairs. Justine joined in, and pretty soon they were both laughing and moaning and groaning across the seats. They finished to a round of applause from the other applicants and took a bow, Toby using his moment in the spotlight to thank his mum, dad and the City of Evil for their undying support in his career.

They passed a couple of hours that way, acting out skits and sketches, even filming a few lazy vlogs, but got bored eventually.

"How long now?" Toby asked, picking at a frayed patch on the chair. Justine sighed.

"Same as when you asked me ten seconds ago. Eight hours,"

Toby groaned.

"I'm SO BORED!" He said loudly, stamping his feet like a toddler.

"I know, sweetie, I know. You haven't stopped telling me for the past half hour!" She said, patting his arm. "Come on, let's find something to do!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of his chair, dragging him along behind her. "There must be SOMETHING fun to do here..."

Toby shook his head.

"I doubt it, JJ. I think the conversation with the Debra woman is about as exciting as it gets in here,"

"Well, we need to find some food at least. I'm STARVING!" Her stomach grumbled just then, right on cue.

They searched the building for another twenty minutes before they found anything remotely interesting, the canteen, tucked away in an isolated corridor near some offices. A buffet was being set out for some posh executives from Europe, but the chef was kind enough to let them take some food, in exchange for their autographs and a photo. Toby and Justine backed out of the room, thanking him repeatedly, so grateful for his hospitality. They found an abandoned office to eat their food in, the smell of shrimps and potatoes filling the small room.

"Here, let's play a game," Justine suggested, backing up slightly from her position next to Toby.

"What?" He said, suspiciously. She picked up a piece of shrimp from her plate and began to aim it at his mouth. He understood and moved back, readying himself. "Prepare to see some

major ownage, Justine," He stated, opening his mouth wide. She threw it at him and he caught it perfectly, throwing his arms in the air in a victory celebration. He put on a deep voice and imitated a sports commentator.

"And it's a perfect shot from the lovely Miss Ezarik, but the true star of the show was, quite obviously, the shrimp, whose reward is a slow digestion by the oh-so-talented, and may I say, exceedingly handsome, Toby Turner!"

Justine laughed at him then jumped in her seat.

"Ooh, my turn! My turn!" She squealed, preparing herself.

"Okay," Toby said seriously, grabbing his ammunition. "Ready?"

She nodded and opened her mouth. He aimed then fired a piece of potato at her, which promptly fell apart as soon as it hit her face. She gasped, wiping soggy food from her chin.

"Toby!" She got up from her seat. "Oh, you're gonna get it!" She started towards him but he was too fast for her and was out of his seat and out of the door in the blink of an eye. She ran after him, catching up pretty quickly. He didn't realise she was there, however, so she grabbed him around the neck and jumped on his back. He caught her legs and spun her around, their laughter echoing along the corridor.


	5. Chapter 5

The two finally found their way back to the waiting room and reclaimed their seats. They spent the rest the wait watching YouTube videos, reading comments and Tweets, and drinking coffee. Eventually, when it started to get late, Justine fell asleep with her head in Toby's lap. He didn't dare to move when he realised she was sleeping, but watched her instead, gently stroking her long blonde hair and thinking about the night they'd spent together. He felt a pang in his chest when he remembered what she had said about being friends, but then he recalled her wanting him to hold her, and the heat between them when he tickled her and when she jumped on his back. He gazed at her sleeping face, so peaceful and content, and made up his mind to tell her how he felt after they finally did their auditions.

About an hour went by before Justine began to stir. Her eyelids fluttered slightly and she yawned, stretching her arms above her head.

"Hey, sleepy JJ," Toby breathed, tickling her chin playfully.

"Hey Tobes..." She replied, yawning again. "How long was I out?"

Toby looked at his watch.

"About an hour or so," He said. "I don't know how long before we're seen, there's still loads of people left..." Justine sat up and looked around the room as well.

"Well, you never know... We might get lucky," She said, doubtfully.

Finally, the numbers in the room dwindled until there were just a few people left. The director popped his head around the door, peered at the final few candidates and sighed tragically. He looked down at the list in his hand and coughed to get everyone's attention.

"Toooooby Turrrrner!" He droned, watching for his next victim.

Toby stood up, straightening his t-shirt and running his hand through his hair once again.

"Break a leg, Tobes," Justine said as she gave him an awkward one armed hug, for the director had his other arm and was dragging him away.

"I'll see you afterwards, JJ," Toby shouted to her, trying to put as much feeling into his words as he could while being dragged along by a manic director. "You'll be great!" He gave her one last wave before he was shoved into the room to await his fate.

"Hi!" A rather excitable woman with lipstick on her teeth sat in the middle of the table at the far end of the room. "I'm Shelley, the writer." She gestured to the aggressive looking man on her right. "This is Don, the choreographer, and you already know Steve, the director," The bandy legged man came and sat on her left, kicking his shoes off and placing his feet on the table.

"We're just waiting for your partner to come along. Then we'll decide what script you'll be reading," Steve added, sighing dramatically and looking at his wrist, which was completely bare. Several minutes went by in uncomfortable silence. Toby fidgeted in his seat, biting his lip nervously. Eventually they heard the door open and a breathless young woman run in.

"Sorry I took so long, there was a mix-up and I was sent to the wrong... Toby?"

He finally turned to look at his partner.

"JJ? What're you doing in here?" He stood up and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into a hug. As he hugged her, he whispered in her ear so the crew couldn't hear. "Thank God you're here; it was beginning to get awkward." She laughed and he let go of her reluctantly, taking a seat in one of the two chairs set in front of the table. The director took his filthy feet off the table and leaned forward to get a good look at them both. The other two leaned in and he murmured something to them, too quietly for Toby or Justine to hear. After a few seconds they all sat back, grinning at the pair.

"Right, guuuuys," Steve said, shuffling papers in front him. "We've decided what scene you'll be doing... We want you two to do... The rooooomance scene," He winked playfully and handed them the script papers. "I'll give you a couple minutes to look over it, but one rule. NO CONFERRING!" He adopted a look of dead seriousness, clenching his jaw so tightly his face reddened. Justine and Toby were both slightly taken aback, but ignored the weirdness - They were used to it after all.

They read over the script pages they'd been given, trying take in as much as possible. All was silent in the room until the last page, when Justine cleared her throat loudly.

"Um, it says here that the two characters are supposed to kiss..." Her heart fluttered nervously at the thought of it.

"Yes, they do. But remember, it has to be real. Just like a movie," the director said.

Justine stole a quick glance at Toby, who was rather offended that she had pointed it out, as obviously she didn't even want to kiss him when she was acting. He sniffed and kept his eyes on the script, avoiding her gaze.

Eventually, they started their scene. The crew watched in awe, impressed by the natural chemistry the two had together. Toby and Justine walked around the room, each playing off of the other's reactions. They became closer and closer together as the scene grew more heated, finally standing almost nose to nose as it reached its climax. Toby turned away and sat back down, still in character, placing his head in his hands. Justine walked to him and bent over him seductively, tilting his chin up towards her. "I'll see you later, sweetie," She whispered and leaned in towards him, their faces centimetres away from each other.


	6. Chapter 6

Finally, after months of waiting, their lips touched for the first time.

It surprised them at first how natural it felt, as if they should have been doing it all along. Toby reached up and placed one hand on her cheek, the other tangling itself in her hair. She moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Spurred on by the director's shouts of "More passion, more heeeeeat!", Toby grabbed Justine's waist and pulled her onto his lap, her legs on either side of his own. She gave a small gasp as they kissed more and more passionately, their breath growing heavier and their hearts racing, each perfectly in tune with the other. She still seemed hesitant, so Toby took the lead, trying to pour everything he felt for her into that kiss. He felt her lips curve into a small smile as he kissed them, and she pressed her mouth to his harder, more passionately, as if attempting to read his thoughts.

Eventually, the director was satisfied. "Cut!" He yelled, waving his hands in the air, but the two ignored him, growing only closer together. Steve sighed and yelled again, much louder this time, but still the pair continued their kiss, every sound in the world blocked out except the other's heartbeat. Finally, on the third yell, Justine heard him and pushed Toby away. She stood up off his lap and walked over to her seat, biting her nails and refusing to look in his direction. Toby took this as a bad sign, thinking that she didn't like him after all. His plans to tell her his feelings were shattered, and possibly their friendship was too.

Justine and Toby thanked the crew and left, an awkward silence filling the air. He couldn't figure out what had just happened in there, with her kissing him so passionately then just pushing him away... But he knew that he didn't want to talk about. He couldn't take any more rejection, especially not from her.

They sat in the car in silence, both trying to think of something to say. Justine opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, and continued staring out of the window.

"So where we going, J-...Justine..." Toby stuttered, his nickname for her seeming suddenly inappropriate. She sensed his hesitation.

"My apartment," She replied, still avoiding his gaze.

"Are you sure? We could go back to my place and play some video games, or we could watch a movie, go get something to eat..." Toby said, rather desperately. Justine shook her head.

"I would like to go home, please," She replied quietly.

Toby pulled up outside Justine's apartment building and he quickly got out of the car to open her door for her.

"I'll walk you to the door," He said, shutting the car door firmly behind her.

"No, you don't have to," She responded.

"I want to," He replied softly.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Justine pulled out her keys and opened the door.

"Thanks for the ride, and for today and... And for last night," She blushed, looking at the jangling keys in her hands.

"No problem," He pulled her in for a hug, which she returned somewhat awkwardly. "What are friends for?"

She nodded and made to go inside, but Toby caught her arm. "JJ, wait..." He said, and then hesitated, as if trying to find the right words. "We're still getting coffee tomorrow morning, yeah?"

"Sure, I'll pick you up at nine," She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Goodnight, Toby," She turned and went inside, slowly closing the door behind her.

"Sweet dreams, JJ," Toby whispered into the dark night.


	7. Chapter 7

Justine sat in her apartment at 8:55, ready to leave, but wondering if she should cancel. Something had happened between her and Toby in that audition room and she wasn't sure what to do. She replayed the kiss in her mind, recalling how nervous they had been at first, stumbling over each other slightly, then how they'd just sunk into it, their lips moving together in perfect time. Her heart skipped a beat when she remembered Toby pulling her on to his lap, holding her so close that she never wanted him to let go...

She knew she had to talk to him to see if he felt it too...

Toby was awake and dressed by 8am. He sat in his living room, pretending to watch TV, but in reality had it muted so he could listen for Justine's car. When it finally did come at 9:04, Toby had the door open before she could even knock. She stood at the door opened mouthed, her fist poised in mid-air.

"Hey, Tobes," She said, nervously, as he gestured for her to come inside. "Do you think we could just have coffee here? I don't really feel like going out..."

Toby nodded, a little confused, but led her through to the kitchen where he began to make their coffee, grabbing the regular milk he kept in the fridge specially for her, despite him being allergic.

"Here you go, just as ordered," He pushed the mug towards her and picked up his own. She thanked him and took a sip, scalding her tongue slightly in her hurry.

"Listen, Tobes, we need to talk about the audition... And that kiss," She finally sighed and put down her mug. Toby picked up a spoon and began to stir his drink, avoiding her eyes.

"Why?" He still didn't look up, his spoon clanking the sides of the mug. "It was a stage kiss. We were acting. It didn't mean anything," It caused him a lot of pain to say that, but her face after they'd kissed had been enough to tell him her feelings.

"Toby, I know you felt something during that kiss." She replied, moving around the table to his side.

"No, I didn't. It was entirely professional." He said through gritted teeth. "I know what I felt Justine,"

"And I know what I felt!" She shouted. "I felt it on my thigh! I could tell!" Toby's mouth fell open and his face went scarlet, but Justine couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment.

"Well, maybe I was still acting." He stood a little closer to her, closing the gap between them. The air around them prickled with heat and electricity.

"Believe me, Toby, no-one's that good of an actor," She narrowed her eyes.

They stared each other down for a couple of seconds, and then Justine sighed and turned away.

"I'm leaving, Toby." She picked up her handbag and walked out of the kitchen. Toby followed behind her, at a loss for what to say. "I'm leaving in an hour for my parents' house, so that'll give you a couple days to think. When I come back on Sunday, then we can talk." She opened the door but paused before she went out. "Remember though, Tobes, just like a movie..." And the door slammed behind her.

Justine sat at the window at her parents' house, watching the rain explode on the grass.

"Stupid weather..." She muttered to herself. "Stupid rain reflecting my mood..." She pulled out her phone and checked it again, but there were no messages. Toby hadn't called.

"Hey, Jus," Jenna sat down beside her, staring out of the window also. "Come and play with us, take your mind off things," She nodded towards the rest of the family, who were busy with an epic game of Twister.

"No thanks," Justine shook her head and continued to glare at the stormy sky. Jenna leaned forwards, concerned.

"What's wrong, Jus? You've barely said a word since you've got here! All you've done is stare out the window and check your phone. What's bothering you?"

"It's nothing..." Justine bowed her head, chewing her fingernails anxiously. "It's just... The audition... I'm worried about the audition..." She hoped she'd seemed at least a little convincing, because she honestly didn't think she could take her sisters bugging her all weekend about Toby. Right now she didn't even want to think about him. And yet, she couldn't stop. Her thoughts drifted back to him, to his messy brown hair and his never ceasing smile, the way his eyes lit up when he saw her, the way he held her so close that night...

She was distracted from her thoughts by a knock at the front door. Jenna had long since left her alone and had gone back to the game. She was currently tangled between several other people, so none of them could freely move.

"Justine, could you get that?" Her mum called from the floor. "And smile for once, be a gracious host to whoever has come a-knocking,"

"Sure, whatever," Justine replied, miserably. She didn't feel like pretending to be happy, so didn't, despite her mum's protests from the living room. The lightning flashed again, illuminating the dark hallway briefly. Justine could see a vague silhouette in the window, but couldn't make out who it was. Probably one of the neighbours lost a child or something, she thought as she proceeded cautiously towards the door.

She could hear the rain beating the porch steps furiously and immediately pitied whoever was standing out there. Realising suddenly how long she was taking, she hurried forwards and pulled the door open, coming face to face with the silhouette, who was soaked to the skin, shivering violently in the ghastly night.

"Just like a movie, JJ," He yelled above the thunder. He took her face in his hands, kissing her intensely, in full view of her entire family who had come to see who was at the door. Justine kissed him back, pressing herself against his drenched torso and smiling to herself. Finally.


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the weekend passed blissfully. Justine's parents allowed Toby to stay with them, quite glad to see that Justine had cheered up considerably since his arrival. They couldn't help but notice how perfect the two were for each other, one of them always making the other laugh. They seemed truly happy.

Toby and Justine spent all day in the company of others, but the night was just their own. Toby slept in Justine's bed with her, holding her close and warm to his chest. They stayed up late talking, reverting to whispers when everyone else went to bed, and after Justine's dad had come into the room to check on them. They never gave him any reasons to raise an eyebrow, however. They were happy enough with just sleeping.

"Toby," Justine whispered on their first night together as a couple. "Toby!" She prodded him awake and he gazed at her sleepily.

"Whaaaat? I'm sleepy, JJ," His eyes closed briefly for a moment and Justine thought he'd gone back to sleep, but then they opened again, slightly more alert than before. Justine looked at his bare chest, walking her fingers along his shoulder.

"So, we're, like, a thing now, aren't we?" She whispered nervously.

"I'd certainly hope so, JJ, since I flew all the way out here to kiss you and am now sleeping in your bed," He laughed softly and kissed her nose. She rolled her eyes, but bit her lip anxiously.

"No, I mean what do we tell the fans?" She asked, and this question stumped even Toby.

"We could just... Not..." He replied quietly. She gave him a look of disbelief. "Well, think about it, JJ. If we told them, there would be a frenzy. It would be insane. But if we don't tell them, but never deny it, then they can draw their own conclusions. Most of the internet already thinks we're dating anyway, so things can just continue the way they were. Except a whole lot brighter with you," He smiled at her lovingly, stroking her cheek. "But if you want to tell them, then we can do that..." But she shook her head.

"No, I like your idea. I think we should keep it to ourselves, at least until we figure things out together." She leaned her head on his chest again, breathing deeply.

Filming lazyvlogs was hard, considering they were trying to keep their relationship a secret and the fact that Toby was staying at Justine's parents' house. He attempted to keep it subtle, filming videos in supermarkets and shopping centres and trying not to flirt with Justine too much. Despite their caution however, comments had already begun to pop up around the Internet.

Is Toby dating iJustine?

Toby must be staying with Justine's parents. SCORE.

Is Justine wearing Toby's t-shirt? Obviously the first one she could find after last night ;)

Justine read the last comment and looked down at the blue Tobuscus shirt she was wearing, grinning. It was funny how accurate the viewers could be sometimes, especially when they were shooting in the dark.

"Tobes, come look at this one!" Justine's laugh rang from her place in front of the computer in her bedroom. He stood up from the bed and walked over to her, leaning over her shoulder and reading the comment aloud.

"I have actual photographic proof that Toby and Justine are dating!" He read. She grinned and clicked the link, bringing up a very badly photoshopped picture of the two kissing. Toby sighed. "How silly of them. That's not even the least bit convincing. Everyone knows when we kiss it looks like this," He bent down and pressed his lips to hers briefly. She giggled and pulled him back for more, but there was an awkward cough from the door.

"Am I interrupting something?" Justine's dad said, raising his eyebrows pointedly.

"No, no!" Justine replied hurriedly, standing up from her chair. "What's up, dad?"

"You'd better get packing for going home, Jus. We have to be at the airport in two hours," He nodded at her then walked out the door, giving the couple one last stare before he left.

"Ugh, I hate packing," Justine groaned, gazing around at the tip that was her bedroom. "You're so lucky not to have to pack anything," She kneeled on the floor beside her suitcase and pouted up at him.

"Well, I'll help you. I am a WIZARD at packing," He stretched his arms behind his head and looked at the ceiling, laughing.

Two hours later, the two stood at the door waiting for Justine's dad to drive them to the airport. They said goodbye to her family and Toby thanked them endlessly for letting him stay, hugging each of them several more times.

"I'll take the bag," They both said in unison, then burst out laughing. Toby grabbed it before she could, and then squeezed her fingers with his other hand, smiling at her.

"Time to go, JJ," He grinned when her dad opened the door for them.

The plane touched down in LA, finally. They exited the plane and got Justine's bag, taking longer than usual to get through baggage claim. Eventually, they were released from the airport and walked into the scorching LA sun as a couple for the first time.


	9. Chapter 9

"Here we are, JJ. Home sweet home," Toby said as he pulled up in front of Justine's apartment building. He jumped out of the car and opened her door for her, grabbing her case from the back seat. "I'll walk you up," He said, locking the car and slipping his hand into hers. As they reached her apartment, she leaned against the wall next to the door, starting to unlock it.

"Will you come in?" She asked, fiddling nervously with the keys in her hands.

"I can't," Toby sighed, shaking his head. "I've not been home in three days. I have a lot of stuff to sort out," He coughed. "I kinda just... Up and left... I didn't pack a suitcase or anything. I don't even remember if I locked the door,"

"Why not?" She frowned.

"I was in such a hurry to leave," He replied, a faint blush colouring his cheeks. "All I could think was that I had to get to your house and see you to tell you how I felt. I wasn't really thinking straight,"

She smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Well, it looks like it worked out for the best, didn't it?" She breathed, kissing him deeply. He leaned in and kissed her again, his arms grasping her waist. He pulled back and sighed, staring her right in the eye.

"Well, I guess one more night away from home couldn't hurt," He grinned, pulling her inside and dropping her bag at the door. The door slammed loudly behind them, but it went unnoticed, so distracted by each other as they were. Toby picked her up and carried her through to the living room. Their lips touched again and again as they lay on the couch, legs entwined and hearts racing.

All of a sudden, Toby's phone rang. He groaned and sat up, pulling it out of his pocket and looking at the caller ID. He groaned once more and put the phone to his ear.

"What?" He answered, annoyed. "No, I'm busy," He glanced at Justine. "No, I can't right now, Sean. Maybe tomorrow. Listen, I have to go. Bye," He hung up the phone and switched it off, throwing it on the coffee table. He turned back to Justine, but the moment was gone, so they instead lay back on the couch, her head on his chest.

They lay together for a long time in silence, happy just being near each other. Eventually Justine exhaled deeply and Toby realised she was asleep. He contemplated moving her into her bed, but decided against it. He couldn't risk waking her up when she looked so content, so instead held her tightly and fell asleep too.

Justine awoke that morning to the sound of Toby mumbling in his sleep. She lay there quietly for a while, just listening. Most of it was completely unintelligible, just sniffs and garbled sentences, but a few choice words stood out. Over the course of those fifteen minutes, he murmured "Justine" and "JJ" a total of nine times, almost always followed by a small smile twitching the corners of his mouth. She couldn't help but feel ecstatically happy when she heard this, knowing that she was in his dreams and thoughts.

She closed her eyes again, and later found herself being awoken by Toby, on whose chest she was still lying.

"JJ?" He whispered. "Awww, you sleepy?" He kissed her forehead gently and laughed.

"Yes, I am, Tobes," She pouted, yawning loudly. She repositioned herself on the couch so that she was more comfortable, stretching her arms in an attempt to shake off the sleep. Toby sat up too and placed an arm casually around her shoulder. She glanced at his arm then at him, eyebrow raised. He grinned at her, but then his face fell slightly.

"JJ, you remember how we agreed not to tell the audience about us?" He asked, apprehensively.

"Yeah, we said we'd wait until the time was right," She replied, slightly suspicious. "Why, do you want to tell them?" But he shook his head.

"No, no!" He answered. "It just occurred to me though... What are we telling our friends? All the other YouTubers?" Justine thought hard.

"Well, my family already knows since... Well, you know," She giggled. "So maybe we should keep it a strictly family thing right now? Like you could tell your parents and your sister, then we could just leave it at that, because we honestly don't know what our friends might spill on the Internet by accident..."

Toby agreed wholeheartedly, already planning out how he would tell his family that he'd finally succeeded in winning the heart of the girl he'd been chasing for months. No doubt they'd be surprised!

"So that's it? It's our secret?" He whispered, excitedly.

"Our secret," She confirmed, and leaned in to hug him once more.


End file.
